I'm not ranking from best to worst in comparison to each other, but rather in comparison to each team's competition with regard to classification and region.

Go to OnlineAthens to give your thoughts on the power rankings. Feel free to disagree.

Here goes nothing ...

► 1. Commerce: The Tigers have been impressive and are favored to win Region 8-A after reaching the elite eight in Class A last year. All three of their losses have come to larger schools: Jefferson, Woodmont (S.C.) and Hart County.

Commerce should win its subregion (8-A North) without too much difficulty, but has important games still remaining against Athens Christian, Athens Academy, Lakeview Academy and George Walton.

► 2. Jefferson: The Dragons' record doesn't tell much. Four losses hurt, but three came to larger schools and the fourth came to Jackson County by just two points.

Some important games remain, including two against Hart County and a rematch with Jackson County.

► 3. Cedar Shoals: With only two defeats, the Jags appear to be ready to compete in Region 8-AAAA.

In a strong subregion, Cedar Shoals will have to continue playing well. There is still much to be seen with this team as almost its entire region schedule remains.

► 4. Monsignor Donovan: Not yet starting its region schedule, Monsignor Donovan is off to one of its best starts in school history.

The Rams should be competitive inside their region, GISA 1-AA, when the new year rolls around.

► 5. Athens Academy: A tight victory over Athens Christian and a dominant win against Prince Avenue proved the Spartans will be one of the top teams in Region 8-A.

Another game against Athens Christian, two matchups with George Walton and a rematch with Commerce are their biggest remaining games.

► 6. Jackson County: Winning seven of its last eight, Jackson County has been impressive of late.

Most remarkably, the Panthers took down Jefferson. If they keep on winning, they'll certainly move through the ranks quickly.

Watch out for this team to give a good run for the Region 8-AA championship down the stretch.

► 7. Athens Christian: The Eagles will be competing with Athens Academy for the top seed in the subregion heading into the Region 8-A tournament, but the Spartans are already one up on them.

A 20-point win over George Walton proved the Eagles should pose a serious threat to the Spartans when the two meet again.

► 8. Clarke Central: Even though their record looks pretty dismal, watch out for the Gladiators to make a quick turnaround.

At this point, I'm likely being generous ranking the Glads eighth. However, a tight loss to Cedar Shoals didn't hurt their cause.

► 9. East Jackson: Victories over North Oconee and Apalachee have been the Eagles' biggest wins thus far. A three-point loss to Hart County wasn't a bad outcome, either.

With just a pair of subregion games down, East Jackson still has essentially all its important games left to play.

► 10. Madison County: Having not won a big game yet, the Red Raiders have a long way to go.

However, playing in a fairly weak subregion (8-AAAA North), Madison County could be a viable option for postseason contention.

► 11. Winder-Barrow: With two large wins and two straight one-point losses, the Bulldoggs have shown some signs of success recently.

They still have the important portion of their schedule left, which should come as good news to the Bulldoggs.

► 12. North Oconee: With just two victories, the Titans are having some troubles so far.

However, tight losses to Jefferson and Jackson County prove they've got potential. They'll get another shot at both those teams later in the season.

► 13. Prince Avenue: Similar to North Oconee, Prince Avenue has just two wins. In its subregion play, it has been blown away by George Walton and Athens Academy, but lost by just a single point to Social Circle.

► 14. Oconee County: This one could've gone either way between Oconee and Oglethorpe. In two meetings, the teams have split and both have just a pair of wins.

Still with half its season left to play, the Warriors surely have room for more successes.

However, they've had a really tough time to this point. One bright spot, though, was a victory over Jackson County earlier this season.

► 15. Oglethorpe County: As mentioned before, the Patriots could be in either the 14th or 15th slot.

Their biggest win was over Oconee County. The lone other victory for Oglethorpe came against Banks County.

► 16. Westminster Christian: The 2-9 Lions have had a rough go of it thus far.

Of course there's still plenty of games left to be played so they have an ample amount of time to grab some more victories by season's end.

► 17. Apalachee: A lone triumph over East Jackson has been the Wildcats' only shining moment to date.

With no region games yet played, Apalachee can still improve, but from the early games things aren't looking too hot.